Small arm and machine gun



May 25 1926.

E. S. R. ADAMS SMALL ARM AND MACHINE GUN Filed May 7 2. J. Q J

Patented May 25, 1926.

UNITED EDWARD SIDNEY ROYSTON ADAMS, OF LONDON, ENG-LAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF Iiiiji? lease TO EDMOND JOHN WARRE SLADE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SMALL ARM AND MACHINE GUN.

Ap'plication filed May 7, 1923, Serial No. 637,195, and in Great Britain July 12, 1922.

This invention relates to improvements in small-arms and machine guns of the kind in which the opening and closing of the breech for effecting the ejection and feeding of the -6 cartridges is automatically obtained by the discharge of the gases of combustion directly from the firing or cartridge chamber.

In such rifles or guns as heretofore constructed theescaping gases from the firing 1 chamber act directly upon a piston the motion of which is transmitted through the medium of delaying mechanism to the breech opening mechanism.

The object of this invention is to simplify this type of mechanism and to this end it consists broadly in causing the piston actuated by the discharge gases to act directly upon the'ejecting and feeding mechanism without the intervention of the intermediate delaying mechanism.

In a suitable arrangement for carryingout the invention as applied to a rifle or gun of the type in which ejecting and feedin operations are controlled by mechanism consisting of a bolt, slide and a connecting rod l-IlCl return spring, the said mechanism is directly actuated by the aforesaid piston,

which is disigned to move in a chamber or cylinder in direct communication, through 80 a narrow orifice, with the firing chamber. For this purpose the piston is in the form of a rod attached at one end to the said mechanism, its other or free end extending into the open end of the cylinder in which it 5 freely moves. The chamber closed by the piston can be varied in capacity by any convenient means, for the purpose of regulat-' ing the pressure to which the piston is subjected and the moment at which it is brought inder by the pressure of the gases generated on the ignition of the propellent charge. The end of the piston may be bevelled so that the disc issuing from the cylinder strikes the bevelled surface and is deflected downwards.

The aforesaid slide actuates the breech bolt through the medium of a pin and camof lost motion is provided which gives a momentary delay before the breech is opened. Furthermore, to ensure that the piston shall re-enter the open end of the cylinder, on the closing of the breech under the action of the usual spring, the said cylinder'end is made bell-shaped orfiaring.

As will be understood, the slot maybe formed either in the slide or in the bolt, the pin being secured either to the bolt or to the slide.

To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a sectional sideview of the breech portion of an automatic rifle pro vided with the improvements.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan thereof, and

Figure 3 is a section On the line 33, Figure 1.

Figures l and 5 are views at right angles of a detail and Figures 6 and 7 are also views at right angles of another detail.

Figure 8 is a sectional side view of a modified detail.

a is the breech of the rifle and b is the barrel secured thereto and containing the chamber 0 for the cartridge (Z. c is the breech-slide slidable in the body and f is the breech-bolt also slidable in the body and provided with the pin projection g engaging the cam-slot h in the breech-slide, so that the latter, when retracted, will effect the unlocking and retraction ofthe bolt f to withdraw the empty cartridge case from the chamber 0, and, when pushed forwards, will return the bolt to feed a fresh cartridge into the said chamber and to be again looked, all in the usual manner.

i is the piston to be actuated in one direction by the gases produced by the firing of the cartridges, the said piston being in the form of a rod extending into, and working in a cylinder j which is in communication with the chamber 0 by the orifice la. The piston is directly connected to the breech-slide e by a spring-catch Z pivoted to the said slide and engaging a stud m on the piston carrier 0 The movement of the said piston by the gases efi'ects the unlocking and retraction of the bolt 7. n is the spring for effecting the forward or return movement of the bolt f, through the medium of the rod 0 detachably connected to the piston i by the piston carrier 0 and working in the guide 0 The depression of the catch Z will disconnect it from the piston i and rod 0 to enable the slide 6 to be actuated by hand, if required.

The rod 0 and carrier 0 are connected together by a hooked stud 0 on the former passing through a slot 0* in the latter, the hooked portion of the said stud engaging one end of the said slot, as shown clearly in Figure 3. The end of the rod 0 also engages behind lugs 0 on the back of the carrier 0 Inv order to disengage the carrier 0 from the rod 0 the latter must be moved in the direction'of the arrow, Figure 3, until the hook of the stud 0 is free of the said. rod and the end of the said rod free of the lugs 0 as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 6, recesses o on the said rod registering with the lugs 0 so that the rod 0 can be moved out of contact with the carrier, the stud 0 passing through the slot 0*.

The cylinder j is joined to the barrel Z; by means of a coned seating j and locking rin 3' thereby ensuring ages-tight joint an enabling the said cylinder to be removed for cleaning the orifice 7:. p

79, Figures 1 and 2, is the screw-plug at the closed end of the cylinder for varying the capacity thereof to any desired degree. Or, this plug can be dispensed with as indicated infFigure 8, the cylinder end being left solid. I

9 indicates where the cylinder y' is cut away at the underside to permit the release of the gases when the piston is leaving the said cylinder and also the discharge of the disc cut out of the cartridge case and forced through the orifice by the gases resulting from the firing 0f the cartridge. 1" is the bevelled end of the piston for deflecting the said disc downwards and 8 indicates the flarthe said disc during its initial movement in order to prevent it being driven with sufficient force against the wall of the cylinder to disintegrate it, I form the orifice is at the portion most remote from the barrel of larger diameter as indicatedclearly at 10 Figure 2.

t is the straight extension of the cam slot 72. in the breech-slide e which allows of a slight longitudinal movement of the said out of the cartridge cases are forced b'yfthe piston actuated in said cylinder by the gases resulting from the dischargeof a cartridge after forcingout a piece of the cartridge case in their passage to the cylinder, the said piston being'a-dapted to act directly upon; said breech .slide mechanism for ejectinga spent cartridge and a. return mechanism for said piston.

2. A small-arm and machine gun as claimed in claim 1 wherein the piston and'l return mechanism'are detachably connected to said breech slide. V

3. A small-arm and. machine gun as claimed in claim 1 including means for varying the capacity of the cylinder containing the piston.

4. A small-arm and machine gun as claimed in claim 1 wherein a screw plug is employed for varying the capacity of thecylinder containing said piston.

'5. Small-arms and machine guns as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylinder containing the piston actuated by the explosion gases is slotted at the underside and the said piston bevelled, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.

6. Small-arms and machine guns as claimed in claim 1, and in which the breechslide and breech-bolt have a pin and cam-slotconnection, wherein the cam-slot is formed with a straight extension whereby a relative longi tudinal movementis allowed between the said slide and belt at the opening and closing movements of the latter.

7. Small-arms and machine guns as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylinder containing the piston actuated by the explcsiongases is secured in position in a ccned seating by a locking ring. 1

8. In small-arms. and machine guns as claimed'in claim 1, the provision of means whereby the piston and piston carrierare readily detachable from the return spring mechanism, substantially as described.

9. A small-arm or machine gun as claimed in claim 1, including a passage formed with an enlargement leading from saidcartridge chamber, through whiclrthe discs punched explosion gases.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWARD SlDNEY ROYSTON ADAMS. 

